JUPITER, Fla. -- As he worked out on the campus of Georgia Tech getting his body in shape for an 11th Major League season, catcher Matt Wieters waited for a call that, until Monday, never came.

Wieters’ first and only offer since reaching the end of his two-year contract in Washington last fall came this week from the Cardinals, who offered a Minor League deal that Wieters accepted almost immediately. He arrived in camp on Thursday, disappointed at how his free-agent experience played out yet seemingly still pleased with where it led him.

“At this point in my career, being a part of a contender is important to me,” Wieters said. “I would have liked the offseason to probably have a few more choices, but I’m very excited to be here. It’s not often that when you have 10 years in that you can come and learn from a guy who has almost 20 years in. I’ll soak in as much as I can from Yadi [Molina], and definitely lean on him to teach me as much as he can about this staff.”

Wieters is aware of how limited his role could be if he beats Francisco Pena out for the backup catching job. Molina has caught 77 percent of the club’s innings over the last decade and has started at least 120 games behind the plate in nine of those 10 years.

That remarkable durability has made it challenging for the Cardinals to find many catchers willing to play behind Molina. Wieters, 32, would bring a more diverse resume to the position as a four-time All-Star and two-time Gold Glove Award winner who has been an everyday catcher for most of his career.

“I know more than anything, even when you’re catching 130 games, those 32 days off are real important that you don’t feel like you’re going to have to go into the game and you can get that break,” said Wieters, who expects to be ready for Grapefruit League action by next week. “I’m sure when Yadi wants to catch, he’s going to catch. My job is to make him feel comfortable so if he needs to take a day off, he can take a day off.”

This will be the first time Wieters has had to fight for a roster spot in Spring Training since 2009, the year he debuted with Baltimore. He can elect to become a free agent if not added to the team’s Opening Day roster.

Furcal drops by

Invited to camp by Minor League instructor Tony Cruz, former shortstop Rafael Furcal addressed the team before roaming around the field during workouts on Thursday morning. His stop was the latest in a series of visits manager Mike Shildt has scheduled with members of previous Cardinals championship clubs.

Furcal, who played on the Cardinals’ 2011 World Series championship team, said the focus of his message was to “be a winner.”

“The best thing that ever happened,” he said afterward, “was when I got traded from LA to over here and won my first World Series.”

Other former champions, including Chris Carpenter and Jim Edmonds, have been around. The Cardinals hope to host Lou Brock next month, as well. The Cardinals even welcomed Zach Johnson, a two-time PGA Majors champion, to camp earlier in the week.

Carpenter serves as anti-PED ambassador

Prior to Thursday’s game, Matt Carpenter was presented with a canvas print of the Taylor Hooton Foundation advertisement he’ll be featured in this season. Carpenter is lending his support as an advisory board member for the foundation, which strives to educate young people about the dangers of using performance-enhancing drugs.

“If you grew up watching baseball really in the '90s, then you saw what that was like. Those were your heroes,” Carpenter said. “It really kind of laid the groundwork for kids to think that’s what they had to do. And within the last few years, we’ve done a really good job of getting it out of our game. Now it’s relaying that message to the younger generation that it’s not the way that you have to go to reach the top of your profession.”

The Taylor Hooton Foundation has been in partnership with MLB since 2005 and has formed an advisory board of players in 2014. Carpenter was one of the charter members.

Said president Donald Hooton Jr.: “They’re stepping up and saying, ‘I’m perfectly willing to stand up and let kids see that I believe that you can achieve your goals and dreams without performance-enhancing drugs.’”

Worth noting:

• Outfield prospect Lane Thomas remains day to day as he heals from a ribcage strain suffered during an at-bat on Sunday. Shildt described the injury as “not overly concerning,” and noted that Thomas is likely to resume baseball activities soon.

• In order to create extra innings for pitchers who haven’t been able to get enough work in games, the Cardinals are planning to hold a handful of squad games. The first is tentatively scheduled for Saturday.

• Alex Reyes is slated to throw his third round of live batting practice on Friday morning. If all goes well, Reyes’ next time on the mound will come in a Grapefruit League game.

Up next

John Gant will be next to audition for the Cardinals’ open rotation spot when he takes the mound to start Friday’s 5:05 p.m. CT road game against the Astros. The right-hander threw two scoreless innings in his spring debut earlier this week. Left-handed reliever Andrew Miller is also scheduled to make his organizational debut in the game.